I do like 10 Cane quite a bit. I guess I am lucky that I can get it for $25 with free stuff usually. I think I had 20 beach blanket things and a few glasses. I use it in one of my drinks, the Tattoo, that my friends like to drink. Makes for a sweet drink but I love the flavor.

Are 10 Cane and Barbancourt the only other rums that use sugar cane besides Martinique? I use a lot of both and it makes me think I should try more Martinique rums.

Sunny&Rummy - you got used to the flavor of Wray & Nephew? I think I read somewhere that Swizzle likes it too if I remember correctly.
I think I burned out my taste for that sadly. I went to Jamaica recently and everyone was drinking JB instead of Wray & Nephew now. It is also a white ovenproof that tastes like Everclear to me. I think it actually is a abbreviation for crows butt, or so I have been told. Anyway I was drinking TOO MUCH of that stuff mixed with Ting with the locals. I think it made a bad association with the flavor in my mind. It might remind me of the flavor of Clement too. I would try it again if I could find it anywhere.

Yeah, I am totally in love with J Wray Overproof. It's not the easiest rum to mix with, but it works in a high octane Planters Punch, with equal parts Jasper Mix over ice, or in a good old fashioned J Wray and Ting. First time I tasted the stuff I understood why some folks say it tastes like someone put gasoline in your rum, but by the end of the bottle I was a convert.

I think I saw a Jamaica episode of Three Sheets where Zane was drinking with the locals and I was surprised to see them drinking JB and not J Wray. I haven't tried it yet, but have read it's similar to J Wray but the flavor is not as clean.
_________________"If you keep on drinking rum, the world will soon be quit of a very dirty scoundrel."
Robert Louis Stevenson

On 2013-09-18 01:35, TropicDrinkBoy wrote:Oronoco rum and Cachacas are also made with sugar cane juice rather than molasses. The Cachacas have a grassy flavor component similar to rhum agricole.

By the way, I believe the Neissen rhums, the La Favorite rhums and Lemon Hart 151 are all imported by Ed Hamilton, the high priest of The Ministry of Rum web site (ministryofrum.com).

Sunny&Rummy, thanks for the reminder. That combo LOOKS, smells and tastes delicious!

Guatemalan rums are also made from sugar cane juice, so that includes brands like Zacapa and Botran.

And THANK YOU for the suggestion of that rum combo. I have had it in countless Mai Tais but have never once thought to sip it neat that way.
_________________"If you keep on drinking rum, the world will soon be quit of a very dirty scoundrel."
Robert Louis Stevenson

Another sugar cane rum that I purchased recently is Vizcaya from the Dominican Republic. I bought their silver rum because they claim it to be similar to classic Cuban rums. I was initially disappointed because it had a somewhat sweet flavor profile similar to Botran, which is too sweet for me, but I found the exotics I made with it tasted better than I remembered. The liter bottle was used up in no time. I'll have to buy another and repeat the experiment!

Regarding Wray & Nephew, it was my first rum I really tried mixing (i.e. beyond rum & coke) so Im a fan. If you like Appleton White its a more concentrated version of that - the key is to dial back the amount you use otherwise you'll never get used to it! I make diaquiris & fruit juice punches with it. I also use it 1 shot normal white, 1/2 shot of W&N in Sumatra Kulas & Missionarys Downfalls.

Like the white 100 proof Trois Rivieras Blanc, it's a bit of a reminder that white rum can be fierce!

Regarding cachacas, I have tried Pitu & Sagatiba - IMO Pitu is probably the Bacardi of the cachaca world (i.e. widly availble but not great quality). Not a substitute but if you love cachaca, agricole seems a good choice for a future purchase. Sagatiba makes a 'nicer' caprihina IMO but has less 'agricole' to it.

In the UK normal liquor stores dont stock agricoles so it requires a trip to a 'better' store or an online shop.

St. James Hors d'Age is much richer than Clement VSOP. The time in the cask has tamed the vegetal character so that it plays nice with all of the other flavors you would expect in an aged dark rum.

And yes, I think That Appleton Extra and St. James Royal Ambre combo is probably a good approach for approximating the combination of aged refinement and residual agricole assertiveness in something like Hors d'Age.
_________________"If you keep on drinking rum, the world will soon be quit of a very dirty scoundrel."
Robert Louis Stevenson

So I have been researching this all week. Here is an interesting quote from Ministry of Rum:

"In the US I have seen a lot of rhums that claim to be from Martinique but one taste denies their origin. Actually these rhums are made in Martinique but aren’t the carefully produced agricole rhums you will find here. To clear the confusion new regulations have been adopted by the distillers. Look for the words “Apellation d’Origine Contrôlée Martinique.” All rhum agricole bottled in Martinique after May 31, 1997 must carry these words on the label."

They say 14 distilleries. But from the Ministry of Rum, seems like only 9 are actual Martinique rums from Martinique. Clement seems to not be distilled in Martinique, but uses cane from that region. I don't know if that means they are not "official" Martinique rums or not being that they are not distilled in Martinique.

I haven't found a Cachaca that I have liked yet, but people keep bringing over the ones that are not as good according to some other threads here that I have read.

Quote:

On 2013-09-19 13:35, AdOrAdam wrote:You maybe familiar with the idea that Coca Colas domination of the beverage market is due to the company's desire to put it 'within arms reach' of customers (i.e. you can get it everywhere).

The agricoles dominating the thread are: Niessen, Clement & Saint James. Are they popular because they are good or because they are 'within arms reach'?

I obtained a mini mai tai glass from Trader Vics London & have used it for neat rum combos to see if they lived up to the 'the sum is better than the individual parts'. They were OK but not knockout.

I am starting to think that they are popular because they are accessible. I have not tried Saint James yet, because I have not found a retailer for it. I am going to try this combo tonight and post how I like it (with my Neisson).

PS: As a standing offer, I would trade jobs with the Ministry of Rum guys anyday. I would love to live on a boat in the Carribbean and host rum tastings. Those guys have it made!!!

A white Martinique rum worth checking out is Dillon. It may be a Total Wine exclusive in the US. Had some mighty tasty ti'punches mixed with it.Comes in 3 strengths. I've only found 55 so far, at a TW. Novo Fogo makes some very tasty sugarcane juice rums. I prefer their silver, but their gold is very nice as well.

Regarding rums being marked as the style of a country but not being representative of that country I think we should just take the rum by its reputation (eg We all know Captain Morgan ain't jamaican underneath! But with Plantation you are safe).

I love that I can get Havana Club in the UK. I use the 3YO for Hemmingways & Mojitos (its got an unsubstitutional woody tinge & it's meant to be old fashioned style ie less filtered). It's also a much much better price than most other good whites in the UK. The half bottle of the 3YO (in the corner of the picture) & another I have are gifts from people who have been to Cuba ~ Im keeping them

As a sub the Flor De Cana white 4 & black label 5 are comparable to the Anejo Blanco & Anejo Reserva IMO, they may even be preferable... but I like to make a 'cuban drink' with a 'cuban rum' that is still made in Cuba!

The idea that 'what is available to you' & 'what's available in the world' are different isn't necessarily a bad thing, more a fact of life - no where stocks everything! Yes, some products will be 'pushed' but if a rum is popular it would inevitably be sold to a wider market

I think agricole availability might be like Scotch (i.e. the further you are away from Scotland the less variations available but a specialist retailer will be able to get you a bottle that people generally consider a 'good' version).

The aged agricoles are apparently made for export so we should be enjoying the best of what's available (with a little digging around for it).

Im going out for a meal tonight - after reading this thread this week Im definitely in the mood for a white Ti Punch before I go. When I get back I'll definitely be having that Appleton 12 / Saint James Amber combo in a snifter!

Actually, I believe the Rhum Vieux is marketed here as the Extra Old and not the Hors d'Age â€” at least that is what a few minutes of web sleuthing suggets. Also a nice rhum and just a few dollars less than the Hors d'Age.

That Dillon rhum blanc caught my eye at our Total Wine. Good price and I'm out of Premiere Canne, so I think I will be giving this one a spin.
_________________"If you keep on drinking rum, the world will soon be quit of a very dirty scoundrel."
Robert Louis Stevenson